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An Appeal for Your Help

On the order of his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, Sankarshan Prabhu has dedicated his life for the most urgent work of spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world. The more that Krishna consciousness spreads, the more that the suffering, scarcity, and hate on this planet will be replaced with bliss, abundance and love. This is a golden opportunity for us to do the highest good for all living beings and receive the special blessings of the Lord. Therefore we should, as much as possible, sacrifice our time, energy, and resources to assist Sankarshan Prabhu in his most important work. If you would like to help out to any extent, little or big, kindly inform Sankarshan Prabhu of your desire.

Any other endeavor besides reconnecting yourself in love with that person who is the very source of your existence is ultimately a royal waste of time. Why? Because all such endeavors lead nowhere except to death. Therefore to have a truly meaningful existence you must dovetail all of your life's activities with the supreme goal of going back to home, back to your original existence in that wondrous spiritual sky.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Reconnecting with that Wondrous Spiritual SkySofia, Bulgaria--29 May 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: How is Spiritual Master's Body Spiritual?

It is said in scriptures that the body of a spiritual master is never to be considered a material body. Then, in this present material world, why does the spiritual master seem to take birth, get old, sometimes get sick and at the end leave his body at the time of death?

D.P.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Like an Iron Rod in the Fire

Even though the spiritual master's body is still under the laws of material nature, it is a fully spiritualized body because it is fully absorbed in Krishna's service. This is just like if you place an iron rod in the fire, it becomes fire. It acts just like fire with anything it comes into contact with.

In this connection Srila Prabhupada has taught us that one has to awaken his Krishna consciousness by first regretting his past misdeeds and then by touching the lotus feet of the spiritual master. It is a fact that Krishna consciousness cannot be achieved by one's own endeavor. One must approach a self-realized, Krishna conscious person and touch his lotus feet.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Monday 30 May 2011

from Sofa, Bulgaria

Today's Thought: The Sublime, Splendorous Beauty of Existence

God is the source of love. He is not cruel. Rather, He is unlimitedly kind. Therefore, in essence, reality is unlimitedly beautiful. It is only due to our ignorance that we experience it as something ugly, cruel, or bad. The spiritual master is the messenger of God. He carries the torchlight of transcendental knowledge to remove our ignorance so that we too can experience the sublime, splendorous beauty of existence.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Revealing the Sublime Reality of ExistenceSofia, Bulgaria--27 May 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: How to Achieve Union with the Divine?

Dear Acharyaji,
Namaste.

Most of us move on lower levels of consciousness. We all are unique with different temperaments and different material energies like goodness, passion and nescience. How to program the body and mental self-discipline to achieve samadhi -union with divine consciousness?

Yours in Yoga,

J.M.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Full Surrender to Guru and Krishna

To achieve complete, total, perfect union or harmony with the Supreme Divine you have to fully surrender to Krishna under the expert guidance of the acharya, the bona fide spiritual master. In this way you will achieve the topmost perfection of reawakening your intimate loving relationship with the most wonderful and sublime Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all existence. This is the highest samadhi, the topmost level of self-realization, the most perfect union.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sunday 29 May 2011

from Sofa, Bulgaria

Today's Thought: Sofia Airport Resounds with Ecstatic Chanting

There's nothing sweeter than arriving in a foreign country and being greeted with a joyful, exuberant Hare Krishna kirtanwhich is so attractive and enthusiastic that it draws the attention of everybody in the airport. This was our experience upon landing in Sofia the other day. The whole world should be like this: filled up with lively singing of the Lord's names along with ecstatic dancing. Nobody will have time for war anymore. They will be too busy chanting and dancing.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Ecstatic Arrival Kirtan--Sofia Airport-26 May 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Complaint: Your Limited Beliefs Spread Sickness

I have subscribed to your e-course and have been following the answers that you have been providing. Though some of the answers are good, I feel really apprehensive of certain other answers, and I feel some are dogmatic with the limited belief system you have in your mind.

As religion is a way of life and Christianity proposes a super-power as God and the mortals are sinners, they plant guilt in the consciousness. You too, in the name of Krishna, are spreading the same sickness from a Hindu point of view. Since belief systems and the emotional constituents vary from person to person, there are a lot of perspectives to look at: God as a friend, as a mother, as a father, as a master (in a master disciple relationship) not a master-servant as you state in your replies. This way of answers shows supremacy to something you shout as Krishna and instill fear, inferiority and guilt to your followers.

You wrote,
The second point is: There is no verse in the Bhagavad-gita which upholds the principle that Dr. Hawking and everyone else is a form of God. Rather we are all the tiny servants of God.

Need clarification here:
Please quote the verse that say we are all tiny servants of God. We are part and parcel of the same God (as the Gita says, we are within God (ref. Chapter 7 verse 12). Since a drop of the Infinite is infinite, a part of God is God stands true to each and everyone of us in our true essence is God)

I hope you reply and stop fooling people around with your views as the views of Krishna.

Hare Krishna.
Best Regards,
V.N.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: If the Gita is Sickness, We are Surely Guilty

Thank you very much for chanting Hare Krishna. This has pleased me greatly. In regards to the philosophical issues you have raised, kindly consider the followings points which are offered to you in a mood of loving service:

We don't present our own views. We simply present the message of Krishna as He has so mercifully revealed in theBhagavad-gita and as has been further confirmed throughout the Vedic scriptures and by all the great acharyas such as Devarshi Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyas. If this transcendental knowledge is sickness, we are certainly guilty, as you say, of spreading sickness. Indeed we have spread it so much that we are now in danger of a global epidemic.

We admit that we teach that we are inferior to God because this is a fact as confirmed by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gitawhen He orders us to surrender to Him. If you think this is a wrong concept, then prove to us that you are as powerful as God by manifesting all the universes from your body.

Krishna consciousness is not a process of making people feel guilty and morose. It is a process of connecting everyone with the unlimited mercy of God so that they can enter into an eternal existence of blissful celebration.

Servant means one who engages in service to the master. In forty-six verses of the Bhagavad-gita Krishna directly mentions this service. In the 18th chapter, verse 66 He directly orders us to surrender to Him. This means that we are meant to give up serving maya or illusion and serve Him instead.

"Within God" does not meant that we are God. Just like a man who lives in India is within India, but this does not mean that he is India. Although he is Indian, he is not India. In the same way because we are within God we are "Godians", but we are not God.

You cannot find one point we make that is not confirmed in the Vedic scriptures because we do not present our own views. Our only business is to present the view of Krishna, which is, by the way, the supreme view since Krishna is the origin of all that exists, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita.

If you don't like Krishna's views, that is your free choice. You are entitled to have whatever views suit you. But a thoughtful man carefully analyzes what are the various results derived from various viewpoints and adopts that viewpoint which will deliver him from the cycle of birth and death. In this regard we wish you the very best.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Saturday 28 May 2011

from Sofa, Bulgaria

Today's Thought: Perfect Understanding through Faith in Guru

If we think that through scriptural study we can surpass our spiritual master in transcendental understanding, we are making a big mistake. The only way that we can properly understand the scriptures is to have full faith in the words of our spiritual master. Then by his mercy we will gain perfect understanding of the Vedic siddhanta, the Vedic conclusion.

Thank you once again for a great class and inspiring association at ISKCON's Soho Street temple last Wednesday.

I have a question regarding the process of Krishna bhakti:

The nine-fold path of devotion beginning with sravanam and kirtanam (hearing and chanting) is the way we practice in the ashram. I have become aware that many devotees become involved in a variety of projects in addition to this. I have had the idea since coming into Krishna Consciousness of taking Krishna to those young people who are so lost that they are prepared to take their very lives. I had some experience of this when I was working in special schools in Denmark with children and teenagers with emotional and behavioral difficulties. I feel inspired by such a plan for a number of reasons. But I wonder if such a path is really suitable for a devotee to follow. Is it straying too much from the devotional path? I would be very happy if you would give your opinion on this matter.

Hare Krishna,
Your Servant,
B.R.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Helping Others Is Very Essence of Bhakti

A Krishna conscious outreach program to help the lost young people is first class bhakti and falls into the category ofkirtanam, the glorification of the Lord. Any sort of activity which educates others in the transcendental bhakti science iskirtanam. Srila Prabhupada is the prime example of this. By starting the Krishna consciousness movement he saved so many lost young people from confusion and delusion. He liberated thousands from the miseries material existence. And through his books, in due course of time, he will liberate the entire world.

So, on the contrary, to give Krishna consciousness to the lost young people is the very essence of the devotional path. It is the mood of Srimati Radharani to bring the jiva souls back to Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Friday 27 May 2011

from London, UK

Today's Thought: The Supreme Satisfaction

There is only one way to be happy. That way is simply to be Krishna conscious. Nothing more. Nothing less. Krishna consciousness does not require to be enhanced or upgraded. Simple pure Krishna conscious is the supreme satisfaction.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sri Sri Radha Londonisvara--The Deities of London

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Krishna Used Past Life Regression?

Did Krishna use past life regression therapy techniques when He spoke the Bhagavad-gita?

Krishna does not require to utilize any so-called past life regression techniques to see the past. Since time is simply one of His multifarious energies, He automatically has perfect knowledge of everything: past, present, and future.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Thursday 26 May 2011

from London, UK

Today's Thought: It's All There Within You

Unlimited peace, love, and happiness is there within you at every moment. You simply have to learn how to connect with it from a person who is already connected with it. That person is the bona fide spiritual master. The reawakening of that connection is the most unimaginably joyful experience that one can taste in millions and billions of eons. One simply has to master the art of purely loving Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all existence by rendering uninterrupted, unmotivated service unto Him.

The spiritual master (an acarya) should be a nitya-siddha, an eternal associate of Lord Nityananda (stated clearly by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur in an article from the Harmonist). This is also supported by the writings of the Goswamis. The writings of Goswamis clearly clarify the nitya-siddha/nitya-baddha debate. Such a nitya-siddha descends to reclaim the souls (nitya-baddha jivas) on behalf of Lord Nityananda.

On the contrary, why do we have diksa gurus in our society who are not nitya-siddhas?

Your servant,
B.D.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Why Assume They Are Not Nitya-Siddhas?

You are wondering why we have gurus in ISKCON who are not nitya-siddhas (liberated souls). But why should it be assumed that they are not nitya-siddhas? So-called gurus who fall down are obviously not in this category, but any guru who never fells down must be accepted as being a nitya-siddha. A guru can enter into this world as a nitya-siddha or he can be a conditioned soul who becomes a nitya-siddha by the association of a nitya-siddha. In either case he is fully qualified to be a spiritual master and deliver the fallen, conditioned souls back to home, back to Godhead.

According to Srila Prabhupada, anyone who is preaching the sankirtana movement is a nitya-siddha. Srila Prabhupada stated this in a Sunday Feast Lecture delivered on 15 June 1975 in Honolulu as quoted here:

"Anyone who is preaching the sankirtana movement is associate of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sangopangastra... Just like Advaita Prabhu, Nityananda Prabhu helped, similarly, anyone, even up to date, who is trying to help the propagation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, preach this sankirtana movement all over the world, he is also associate of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Gaurangera sangi-gane nitya-siddha boli mane. They are not ordinary human being. Nitya-siddha, ever liberated."

Srila Prabhupada explains how the conditioned soul can become nitya-siddha in a Srimad Bhagavatam lecture (7.9.4.) delivered in Mayapur, India on 11 February 1976 as follows:

"So the nitya-siddha maha-bhagavata, they come from the spiritual world on the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they, by example, preach Krishna Consciousness. This is maha-bhagavata. By suffering, by example, everything, they look like ordinary men, but maha-bhagavata. How it is tested? They never forget Krishna. This is maha-bhagavata nitya-siddha. And sadhana-siddha means those who are put into this material world, by the association ofmaha-bhagavata, if he tries, follows, then he can also become maha-bhagavata or nitya-siddha, because originally everyone is nitya-siddha."

If we ask the spiritual master if he is in the position of nitya-siddha, he will not tell us, "Yes, I am liberated soul, a nitya-siddha." In a room conversation on 16 August 1976 in Mumbai, India Srila Prabhupada clearly states makes this point:

"Liberated soul never says, 'I am liberated.' As soon as he says, 'liberated,' he's a rascal. A liberated soul will never say that 'I am liberated.' That is liberated."

The above points are further confirmed in letter written by Srila Prabhupada to Mukunda das on 10 June 1969 from New Vrindavan:

"You are correct when you say that when the spiritual master speaks it should be taken that Krishna is speaking. That is a fact. A spiritual master must be liberated. It does not matter if he has come from Krishnaloka or he is liberated from here. But he must be liberated. The science of how one is liberated is explained above, but when one is liberated, there is no need of distinction whether he has come directly from Krishnaloka or from the material world. But in the broader sense everyone comes from Krishnaloka."

And also in a letter from Srila Prabhupada to Tamal Krishna Das written on 21 June 1970 in Los Angeles:

"A spiritual master is always liberated. In any condition of His life He should not be mistaken as ordinary human being. This position of a spiritual master is achieved by three processes. One is called sadhana-siddha. That means one who is liberated by executing the regulative principle of devotional service. Another is krpa-siddha, one who is liberated by the mercy of Krishna or His devotee. And another is nitya-siddha who is never forgetful of Krishna throughout his whole life. These are the three features of the perfection of life. So far Narada Muni is concerned, in his previous life he was a maidservant's son, but by the mercy of the devotees he later on became siddha and next life he appeared as Narada with complete freedom to move anywhere by the grace of the Lord. So even though he was in his previous life a maidservant's son, there was no impediment in the achievement of His perfect spiritual life. Similarly any living entity who is conditioned can achieve the perfectional stage of life by the above mentioned processes and the vivid example is Narada Muni. So I do not know why you have asked about my previous life. Whether I was subjected to the laws of material nature? So, even though accepting that I was subjected to the laws of material nature, does it hamper in my becoming spiritual master? What is your opinion? From the life of Narada Muni it is distinct that although he was a conditioned soul in his previous life, there was no impediment of his becoming the spiritual master."

Our first duty as followers of Srila Prabhupada is to carefully and thoroughly study his writings until we develop a solid mastery of them. Sometimes we see that neophyte devotees will jump to reading Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and the Six Goswamis before mastering their understanding of Srila Prabhupada's teachings. This can cause them to become confused. This is why I instruct my disciples to first carefully study all of Srila Prabhupada's teachings before venturing out to the writings of the previous acharyas. If a first grade arithmetic student sits in on an advanced calculus class, he will become confused. But if he progresses gradually and naturally through all the stages of mathematics, he will become a master of all the higher level understandings of mathematics in due course of time.

In conclusion, we must always remember that if we want to properly understand the Vedic wisdom we must have unflinching faith in the spiritual master. This is confirmed as follows in the Vedic wisdom:

"Only unto those great souls who have unflinching faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed."--Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23

If we doubt the spiritual master thinking him to be an ordinary, conditioned soul like us, we will never be able to properly understand the Vedic wisdom.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Wednesday 25 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Srila Prabhupada's Herculean Mission

Srila Prabhupada states in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.36, " The Lord definitely says that no one is more dear to Him than one who is always engaged in the preaching work of the Lord's name and fame all over the world." Although we are not very qualified or competent, we are trying our level best to do a little something to assist Srila Prabhupada in his herculean mission of making the entire world Krishna conscious. We are praying for his mercy and Krishna's mercy that we can be successful.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Srila Prabhupada Guiding His Disciples

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Objection: Blaming Dr. Hawking is Abusing Krishna

In response to the question you were asked about the atheistic scientist, Dr. Stephen Hawking, you used the terms "idiots" and "rascals." According to the Bhagavad-gita, Dr. Hawking or anybody is a form of Lord Krishna. So if we abuse him or anybody I think we are directly or indirectly abusing Krishna. There are so many good people who do not believe in God and who also knowingly or unknowingly mislead the people from actual realty.

I think we should not blame or abuse anybody. Please correct me if am wrong.

Your humble servant,
C.N.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: If Blaming Is Wrong, Why Do You Blame?

My Dear C.N.,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

You have asked me to correct you if you are wrong. So now, as per you request, I humbly beg to point out the discrepancies in what you have written. Kindly try to understand that I am doing this in the mood of a humble servant who wants to help you become perfect in happiness by becoming perfect in your realization of the science of Krishna consciousness as taught by Lord Sri Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavad-gita.

The first point is: If your philosophy is not to blame anyone, why are you blaming me? This is contradictory.

The second point is: There is no verse in the Bhagavad-gita which upholds the principle that Dr. Hawking and everyone else is a form of God. Rather we are all the tiny servants of God.

The third point is: Please note carefully that it is not I who am saying that Dr. Hawking is a rascal. It is Krishna who declares that such persons are rascals.

"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be."--Bhagavad-gita 9.11

I am simply broadcasting the words of Krishna because this is what my spiritual master and Lord Krishna have ordered me to do. So if you want to find fault, you will have to find fault with Lord Krishna.

In conclusion, if we remain passive in the face of the atheistic onslaught, soon atheism will completely overwhelm and destroy whatever vestiges of theism remain on this planet. Therefore if we have any love for the people of this world and sincerely desire their ultimate welfare, we must oppose very strongly these rascals such as Dr. Hawking, who deny the existence of God and who criticize the holy scriptures as being nothing more than fairy tales for little children.

I hope this meets you in the best of health
and in an ecstatic mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Tuesday 24 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Heading Out with a Message that Can Transform the Entire World

After a refreshing, invigorating three weeks hiatus here at Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Austin, Texas USA my wife, Vishnupriya devi dasi, and I are heading out today once again on an around-the-world itinerary for spreading the sublime transcendental self-realization science of Krishna to more and more souls all over the world. Although we are simply tiny, little messengers, the message we are delivering is so powerful that it can completely transform the entire human society within eighteen days, if the leaders of the world society would only listen. We are praying for that day when they will heed our message. May it come soon.

How does the concept of karma work in the material world? If I make some person happy or hurt somebody, do I have to wait more lifetimes for that soul to do the same thing back to me, or do I get my karmic reactions in this lifetime?

Are my present experiences burning off past karma, or are they creating new karma? For instance, if somebody wants to give me money, should I refuse it because it will generate new karma, or should I accept it understanding that it is finishing past karma?

By doing good things like spreading the Holy Name and making people around us spiritually aware are we killing our bad karma? Or does the bad karma have to be neutralized by interacting with specific souls from previous lives? What are karmic ties, and how can I finish my karma from past lives?

Your unworthy servant

N.M.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: With the Help of a Liberated Soul

Karma means that for every sinful action I perform I will be punished and that for my pious deeds I will be rewarded. These karmic reactions can come quickly or they can be delayed over many lifetimes.

Karma is so entangling that simultaneously as we finish old karma we are creating new karma. It's like quicksand. No matter how you move you go deeper and deeper into the quicksand. You can only be saved by a person who is outside of the quicksand. That person who can save us from the quicksand of karma is the bona fide spiritual master. The spiritual master saves us by teaching us the art of how to fully surrender to Lord Krishna.

It is only through this surrender that we can gain permanent liberation from the clutches of karma. We will never gain permanent relief through interacting with those souls with whom we have karmic debts because on this level as we pay off old karmic debts we are simply creating new ones. Surrender to Krishna is the only option. Are you ready to surrender now?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Monday 23 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Bulgarian President Receives the Bhagavatam

Recently on 13 May 2011, the most auspicious Ekadasi day, my Bulgarian disciple, Narada Muni Das, presented several volumes of the Srimad Bhagavatam to Mr. Georgi Parvanov, the president of Bulgaria. Upon receiving this topmost of all literatures the president stated, "This is serious literature." We hope that this esteemed leader of Bulgaria will take the time from his busy schedule to read and understand these most profound and sublime teachings. If he does so, he will gain new insights on how to be an actual leader of his country, a leader who can deliver the citizens from the cycle of birth and death by facilitating their advancement along the pathway of spiritual perfection.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Narada Muni Das Presents the Srimad Bhagavatam

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: What Can I Learn from a Toothache?

Dear Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I currently have a serious toothache. What lesson should I learn from this? And what can I do about it?

Your unworthy servant

I.D.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: It's an Impetus for Attaining Your SvarupaI am sorry to hear about your serious toothache and hope that you will be feeling better soon. For toothache, Srila Prabhupada recommends:

"For your toothache trouble, you can brush your teeth with the following mixture; common salt, 1 part, and pure mustard oil, quite sufficient to make it a suitable paste. With this paste brush your teeth, especially the painful part, very nicely. Gargle in hot water, and keep always some cloves in your mouth. I think that will cure your troubles. It doesn't require to extract any teeth."

The lesson to be learned from a toothache is that you are not your material body. By this toothache you are burning off the reactions from previous sinful activities. So instead of being disturbed you should feel grateful that Krishna is freeing you from your past karma to help you become qualified for returning to His eternal abode. He is reminding you that you are not your body and giving you impetus for attaining your svarupa, your original spiritual form in the spiritual sky.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sunday 22 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Are You Possessed by Your Possessions?

Do you possess your possessions, or do your possessions possess you? As a matter of fact, if you think that you possess them, you are possessed by them. Only when you see them as the property of the Lord by engaging them all in His service are you rightly situated beyond possessiveness. Lord Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the owner of everything. Therefore any person who thinks himself to be the owner of anything is in illusion. Such a person has only one possession, the false conception that he is the owner. And the person who engages everything in Krishna's service has only one possession, Krishna. Which of these two possessions would you prefer to possess?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Prabhupada Teaches Us Who is the Real Owner

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: What Can I Learn from a Toothache?

Dear Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I currently have a serious toothache. What lesson should I learn from this? And what can I do about it?

I am sorry to hear about your serious toothache and hope that you will be feeling better soon. For toothache, Srila Prabhupada recommends:

"For your toothache trouble, you can brush your teeth with the following mixture; common salt, 1 part, and pure mustard oil, quite sufficient to make it a suitable paste. With this paste brush your teeth, especially the painful part, very nicely. Gargle in hot water, and keep always some cloves in your mouth. I think that will cure your troubles. It doesn't require to extract any teeth."

The lesson to be learned from a toothache is that you are not your material body. By this toothache you are burning off the reactions from previous sinful activities. So instead of being disturbed you should feel grateful that Krishna is freeing you from your past karma to help you become qualified for returning to His eternal abode. He is reminding you that you are not your body and giving you impetus for attaining your svarupa, your original spiritual form in the spiritual sky.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Saturday 21 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Engaging Entire World in Krishna's Service

This world does not belong to us. It belongs to Krishna or God. We come into it naked, and we leave it naked. So how can we claim than anything here is our property? We clearly cannot, because everything here is God's property. This is why Krishna's pure devotee, the bona fide spiritual master, wants to teach the human population how to engage everything in Krishna's service. This simple act of reconnecting everything with the Supreme Person will transform the present day ever-increasingly hellish global situation into a heaven on earth.

The scientist, Dr. Stephen Hawking, who is nowadays considered to be the world's greatest scientist, says, "There is nothing like heaven or hell in this universe. Such stories are simply created by smart men, only to scare the people in general who are very much afraid of death."

Is this not in contradiction of truth mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam. How reliable is his statement? Is he not misguiding the entire human society in this world? What will be his destiny after his death, according to Vedic philosophy? Why does Krishna send such damn fools to this world?

Always desirous to serve you ,

D.V.P.,
India

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Scientific Experience of What He Denies

Stephen Hawking is one of the world's leading idiots because he presents patently ridiculous non-truth as science. For example he states that everything came out of absolutely nothing, even though there has never been even one scientific experiment in the entire history of science to demonstrate that anything can come out of nothing. The most amazing thing is that millions of people all over the world are so naïve and gullible that they applaud him as the world's greatest scientist. This reminds us of the saying: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Lord Sri Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita that He provides the living beings both with remembrance and forgetfulness. Therefore because so many people desire to be misled, Krishna facilitates them with such rascals as Dr. Hawking. For those who wish to remember Him, Krishna sends the bona fide spiritual master.

The Dr. Hawkings of this world refuse to take lessons from the bona fide spiritual master. They greatly mislead the human society by inducing people to become atheists. Such rascals go to the darkest region of the universe upon leaving their present body. It is not a matter of philosophy. It is a scientific fact, according to the stringent law of karma. Dr. Hawking denies the existence of hell, but very soon he will personally experience what is hell and become convinced that his speculation about its non-existence was a gross miscalculation. Out of compassion upon him we pray that he can come to his senses and realize his mistake before it is too late.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Friday 20 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Serving Srila Prabhupada's Mission

Srila Prabhupada shines with the luster of pure Krishna bhakti. His resplendence is sufficient to illuminate the entire material world and deliver everyone back to their original positions of eternity, knowledge, and bliss in that wondrous spiritual sky. Therefore my eternal existence is dedicated to assisting him in this most glorious of all missions. Even though I am most unqualified and unfit to serve in his mission, he has very kindly accepted me as his disciple and given me the name Sankarshan Das, the servant of that Lord who attracts everyone.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

My Resplendent Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: What Motivates You to Guide Everyone?

Dear Srila Gurudeva!
Please accept my humble obeisances.

1. Even in such a busy life, you openly welcome questions. Your email and contact details are available for every one. What motivates you to do this?

2. If someone cannot become your disciple, or may not like to become your disciple or may happily want you to make his or her siksha (instructing) guru only rather than making you diksha (initiating) guru, but asks you questions related to Krishna consciousness, would you be happy to answer?

3. Apart from respecting you and serving you, what else are the things you like to find in your disciples that can give you deep pleasure ?

4. My last question, suppose I am a householder looking for a full time job, and also have some loans to pay others. What should I do so that I can come out of such difficulties without leaving devotional service and Krishna?

1. My motivation for being so readily available for guiding anyone in the world who sincerely wants to learn about the ultimate science of Krishna consciousness is that I desire that the whole world should become relieved as soon as possible from its present miserable, chaotic condition so that all people can become happy.

2. Thus, I give guidance to all whether they are my initiated disciples or not. But at the same time it should be noted that the student receives benefit according to his degree of surrender. One who only inquires and does not serve the spiritual master does not receive as much benefit as one who both inquires and tries to please the spiritual master by humble, submissive service.

3. My desire is that all of my disciples may awaken the dormant pure love for Lord Krishna within their hearts because this will be the perfection of their existence.

4. Chant at least 16 rounds of Hare Krishna japa mala every day as early as possible in the day to put yourself in the proper Krishna conscious mindset for the day. Also keep yourself pure by strictly avoiding illicit sex, intoxication, meat eating, and gambling. Then you may put your full energy into securing income to pay off your debts. Because of your chanting and strictly avoiding sinful activities, you will remain in a state of pure Krishna consciousness without being contaminated by the material energy.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Thursday 19 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Conquering the Unconquerable

In this world everyone is conquered by death. No matter how much scientific advancement we make, everyone is still subject to the law of death. Even the greatest scientist, Albert Einstein, could not protect himself from all-devouring death. However, a person who has revived his dormant Krishna consciousness completely conquers over death. He becomes truly deathless. For him death is nothing more than discarding some old worn out baggage as he travels back to his original home, the supreme destination, that wondrous spiritual sky, where nobody ever dies.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Srila Prabhupada Teaches How to Conquer Death

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Why Have a Guru?

What is the purpose of having a guru?

R.P.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: To Become Reconnected with Krishna

The purpose of having a guru is to become reconnected with Krishna. Just as we plug a lamp into an electrical outlet in order to connect it with the powerhouse, in order to reconnect ourselves with Lord Sri Krishna, the ultimate source of all energies, we take shelter of His representative, the bona fide spiritual master.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Wednesday 18 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: No One More Merciful than the Pure Devotee

In this world of exploitation and greed it is very difficult to find someone who does not want to take advantage of us for their own subtle or gross sense gratification. If we can somehow or other come in contact with a pure devotee of Krishna, we will get relief, just like discovering an oasis in the middle of the desert, because there is no one more kind hearted and merciful than Krishna's pure devotee.

I was asked by my friend why we dance in ISKCON. What is the reason for it? Please clear my doubt so that I can clarify my friend.

Your servant
G.V.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Because They Feel Spiritual Ecstasy

The devotees dance because they feel spiritual ecstasy. Those who do not feel the ecstasy cannot understand. But those who feel the ecstasy will easily understand why the devotees are so enthusiastically chanting and dancing.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Tuesday 17 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: When Bewildered Beg for Krishna's Protection

Things don't always go nicely in this material world. Sometimes we experience very bewildering and even devastating situations. Such times, although apparently unwelcome at first, are actually the greatest blessing because they give us the best opportunity to feelingly call out to the Lord for His shelter and protection, which is, in the final analysis, our only safe position in this world, where there is danger at every step.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Srila Prabhupada in Prayer

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Is This True?

Is this true?

“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you. None can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul."

K.N.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: It is Patently Bogus

This statement is patently bogus because it cancels itself out. The person who makes this statement is taking the position of being our teacher by teaching us that there is no teacher other than our own soul. In other words, he is stating that, according to his philosophy, he is not our teacher. In spite of this, he still attempts to teach us something. Therefore he is a hypocrite, and his statement is completely nonsensical and self-contradictory. Anyone who falls for his statement, taking it as profound wisdom, is a naïve simpleton with no philosophical intelligence.

The real fact is that just as a car with a dead battery requires a jump start, the conditioned soul requires a jump start from a liberated soul in order to come out of his conditioned state into the liberated state It is emphatically stated throughout the Vedic literatures that we require to take shelter of bona fide spiritual master if we want to realize the highest truth.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Monday 16 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Appearance Day of Lord Nrsimhadeva

Today is the most auspicious appearance day of Lord Nrsimhadeva, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Godhead, who appeared for the purpose of protecting His beloved devotee Prahlada Maharaja from being tortured and tormented by his demoniac father Hiranyakasipu. Being a pure devotee of the Lord, Prahlada Maharaja is the genuine well-wisher of all living beings throughout the entire universe. Therefore he prays:

bahir nṛsiṁho hṛdaye nṛsiṁhaḥ

"Let Lord Nrsimhadeva sit in the core of my heart, killing all my bad propensities. Let my mind become clean so that I may peacefully worship the Lord and bring peace to the entire world."

Srila Prabhupada has taught us that we should also pray in this way, both for our own purification and for the deliverance of all living beings. This is the real meaning of being Krishna conscious.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Lord NrsimhadevaThe Amazing Half-Man Half-Lion Incarnation of God

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: How to Enlighten Others?

Dear Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

If we meet a non-devotee or a Mayavadi, how do we inform them about the philosophy of Krishna consciousness?

Your Servant

C.P.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Become Perfect in Your Own Conviction

There is no such thing as a set formula for enlightening others in this sublime transcendental science because the principle is that one should present this science according to desa, kala, patra--place, time and the individual.

But if you would like some formula to break the ice, first try to convince him that he is not his body. Once he has understood this point, try to convince him that since nothing comes out of nothing there must a Supreme Person, who is the source of all existence. The verdict of the Vedic scriptures and all the great authorities is that the Supreme Person has millions of names the chief of which is the name "Krishna." Then explain to him that as we are part of the Supreme, it is our natural duty to serve Him. This means that our real identity is that we are the eternal servants of Krishna.

The most important thing in regards to convincing others is your own conviction because if you are absolutely, unequivocally convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you will be able to convince the entire world.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sunday 15 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin,Texas USA

Today's Thought: Don't Forget Who You Are

The material atmosphere of the present day human society is so heavily surcharged with illusion that it is very difficult to remember your actual identity as an eternal spiritual being, who is qualitatively one with Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore if you want to remain fixed in your real identity, you need to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and always associate with self-realized transcendentalists, the Lord's devotees, as much as possible. This good association will save you from illusion. If you remain in this good association, you will not forget that you are Krishna's eternal servant, and you will be a liberated soul even while conducting seemingly mundane activities in this material world.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Revealing the Eternal Identity of the Self28 April 2011--Vilnius, Lithuania

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Who Created God?

In one of your mails you said, "Everything comes out of something."

What about God? Did He also come out of something?

If yes , then from where did His creator come, and so on?
If no, then how He became the first one to be self created? How did He get all the powerful energies?

Krishna or God does not come out of nothing. He comes out of something. That something is His very self, since He is the original something or substance from which everything is emanating.

He does not have to become what He is because He is always that, the ultimate source of everything. He does not have to acquire His powerful energies because they are eternally in His possession.

There is no question of "if any" truth. We are revealing the Absolute Truth every day intensely hoping for that day when our message will go viral and all persons will be reawakened to their original, natural state of pure enlightened consciousness, Krishna consciousness. May that day come soon.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Saturday 14 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Always Maintain an Attitude of Gratitude

One of the most important secrets of success on the wondrous path of ultimate self-realization, Krishna consciousness, is to always maintain an attitude of gratitude. Without this gratefulness one will not be able to manifest love in one's relationships. And without this love one will be a dead man, a walking graveyard. We should especially feel grateful for all those persons who have helped us to come to the path of spiritual light because they are the harbingers of that spiritually awakened state in which we will be completely free of all anxieties and re-established in our eternal loving relationship with the source of all existence, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Loving Send Off Kirtan from the Russian Devotees24 April 2011--Kaliningrad, Russia

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: How to Defeat Impersonal Philosophy?

In a recent discussion with an impersonalist scholar he asked me this question:

When Lord Brahma dies, this universe is finished. This time is said to be one breathing of Mahavishnu. If so, does Mahavishnu also die after his lifespan?

I tried, but could not answer him in detail. And furthermore they do some great word jugglery to try to convince us that since every person is God, there is no need to worship anyone else. Please tell me how to convince these impersonalists, who are many in number here in Chennai? If you could kindly give me the argument to defeat them, I will try my level best to try convince them of the fallacy of their philosophy.

Your unworthy servant,
K.C.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: How Can God Be Defeated by Forgetfuness?

Mahavishnu never dies. He eternally exhales and inhales in an endless cycle of manifesting and withdrawing all of the material universes.

According to the impersonal philosophy, the living being is God, but has somehow or other forgotten. Just see what foolishness this is! God is all-powerful. Nothing can overpower Him. But now He has become overpowered by forgetfulness. This would make forgetfulness greater than God. Therefore we can easily see that their philosophy is completely bogus. If they have a toothache, they have to run to the dentist, and they are claiming that they are the supreme all-powerful Lord, the controller of the universe.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Friday 13 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Keep Your Life as Simple as Possible

By its very nature material existence is very complex and problematic. We are constantly tormented by so many difficulties such as birth, death, old age and disease. Therefore we should simplify our lives as much as possible by keeping our material arrangements to the bare minimum so that we can free up as much energy as possible to be absorbed in hearing, chanting, and remembering the wondrous Lord Sri Krishna on a regular daily basis.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Focus Your Mind on Krishna as Much as Possible

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Better to Work or to Renounce Work?

Why does Lord Krishna consider working in devotion to be better than the renunciation of work?

R.P.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: It's Better to Work for Krishna.

Working in devotion is better than renunciation of work because the idle mind is the devil's workshop. Since the living entity is active by nature both mentally and physically, to stop acting and stop thinking is an artificial position, which cannot be maintained. Therefore instead of trying to become free from material existence by artificially trying to stop acting and thinking, one can be immediately liberated from material existence simply by engaging in devotional service to Lord Sri Krishna. This is confirmed by Srila Rupa Goswami as follows:

"One who engages in the transcendental service of the Lord in body, mind and word is to be considered liberated in all conditions of material existence."--Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.187

Since even to maintain this material body. work cannot be given up, the best system for both material and spiritual success is to absorb one's life fully in acts of devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Thursday 12 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: An Unexpected Exceptional Evening

I was desperately searching to find a way that I could transcend the sufferings of material existence and enter into a state of unadulterated, uninterrupted spiritual bliss. I had tried so many ways to achieve this enlightened state, but I had always failed. Still I did not give up because I had hope against hope that if I persevered, somehow or other I would sooner or later be successful.

It was finally one unexpected evening in the fall of 1968 in Denver, Colorado, USA that I got the breakthrough I had so long been seeking. My good friend, Patrick Dolan, dropped by my apartment at 1271 Lafayette Street along with a few friends and starting chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra. He expressed his faith in its power and asked us to chant with him. I will remain forever grateful to Patrick for this act of extraordinary kindness. And I will always marvel in remembering that exceptional evening when the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna so magnanimously revealed Himself to me in His most merciful manifestation of His inconceivably sweet holy names:

In regards to the emphasis on having a spiritual master, in the recent "Thought for the Day" questions and answers:

In Chapter 9, Text 34 of the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says, "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become my devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." In Chapter 12, text 8 Krishna says, "Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt." There is no mention of a spiritual master in these texts. Your comments will be much appreciated. Feel free to share with all your readers.

In the verses you have quoted Krishna says that if we become His devotee, we will come to Him. So it is a fact that all we have to do to go to Krishna is to become His devotee. When it comes to learning how to become Krishna's devotee, who can be a better authority to teach us how to become His devotee than Krishna Himself? So let us learn from Him how to become His devotee.

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."--Bhagavad-gita 4.34

Krishna is clearly instructing us to take lessons from and render service to the spiritual master. Therefore if we want to become Krishna's devotee, we are obliged to obey this instruction to accept a spiritual master. Plus Lord Krishna directly tells us in the Adi Purana how to become His devotee. He say to do this we must become a devotee of His devotee.

"My dear Arjuna, those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My devotee are factually My devotees."

If we tell Krishna that we do not want to be the devotee of His devotee, that we only want to be His devotee, He will say that we are not His devotee. In this connection Srila Prabhupada often quotes the English saying, "if you love me, love my dog." He explains that the spiritual master is the dog of God, that if you want to love God you must also love His dog, the spiritual master.

The final conclusion is that we have to accept Krishna's teachings in full. It is not that we can accept the verses we like and reject the verses we don't like. If we do that, we are guilty of the fallacy known as half-hen logic. There was a farmer who had a hen who laid very nice eggs that commanded a good price in the market. The only problem was that the hen ate a lot of chicken feed. The foolish farmer came up with a "bright solution." He decided to keep the end of the hen that lays eggs and cut off the end of the hen that eats. The result was he killed the hen and there were no more eggs. So if in the same way we think that we will accept the verses we like and reject the verses we don't like, the result will be that we will not become Krishna conscious, and we will not go back to Godhead. Therefore we should accept Krishna's teachings in full by becoming the devotee both of Krishna Himself and His pure devotee, the bona fide spiritual master. In this way we will become qualified to return to His kingdom at the end of this lifetime.

There are many, many more verses throughout the Vedic literatures stating the necessity of accepting a spiritual master. For the sake of brevity I have mentioned only two.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Wednesday 11 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Krishna Consciousness--Perfection of Science

Science means to know things as they actually are, not as they appear to be or as we think them to be. If one is truly scientific, he must not blindly accept something as being either true or false because it could in fact be just the opposite. For science to be perfect the instruments used to acquire and analyze the data must also be perfect. If the instruments are imperfect, the data and conclusions drawn from such imperfect observation will also necessarily be imperfect. Since all scientific instruments currently available only function within a highly limited spectrum of reality, modern science is still quite unscientific and hence still groping along in the dark ages.

Fortunately we have a scientific instrument available to us which, if properly focused, can give us perfect data thus allowing us to have perfect scientific knowledge. That scientific instrument is consciousness, but it must be properly focused. If a mirror is dirty, it cannot give a good reflection. But if it is clean, it will reflect things very clearly. Similarly when consciousness is properly focused by being cleansed of all dirt, it can yield a perfect scientific vision of reality. That cleansing process has been taught to us by great enlightened sages, who could directly perceive all the scientific truths regarding this universe and the multi-universes, both mundane and supra-mundane, beyond the present universe in which we reside. That cleansing process is the mantra yoga system. By meditating on the mantra, a transcendental vibration coming from beyond this mundane universe, by regularly chanting and hearing it, all the dust which is presently covering the consciousness is cleared away and one can directly perceive everything clearly in a state of total awakening, just as the sun lights up everything in the daytime. Although the Vedic literatures from ancient India contain many powerful bona fide mantras, they recommend the Hare Krishna mantra as being the most powerful and effective mantra for this age. This greatest of all mantras is as follows:

We do not listen to what some say. We listen to what Krishna says. He says that we should always be absorbed in hearing, remembering, and following the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. This means that you must regularly read the Bhagavad-gita at home and wherever you may be.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Tuesday 10 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Mission Impossible or Possible?

My spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, has given us the mission of delivering the entire world from its chaotic condition by educating everyone in the science of Krishna consciousness. How are we to do that when only an insignificant percentage of the world population cares to hear our message? It appears to be completely impossible. But yet by the inconceivable potency of the all-powerful, all-merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, even the most impossible thing can become highly possible. So reposing our full faith in the order we have received from Srila Prabhupada and in the inconceivable mercy of the Supreme Lord, we continue with our mission of enlightening the entire human society with the transcendental science of Krishna consciousness.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Our Mission: Inspire the Whole World to ChantLeading Kirtan--Gurgaon, India--10 April 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Do You Hear Our Prayers?

Srila Gurudeva,

I hope all is well with you. You mentioned, "Always pray to guru and Krishna." Do you hear our prayers when we do that?

Srila Prabhupada has nicely answered this question. So I am giving you his answer as follows:

Regarding your questions: Are the spiritual master and the grand spiritual master consciously aware of the prayers of a sincere devotee who prays in love to Them? -- The answer is that no conscious prayers go in vain. They are transmitted positively. But one thing you must know that any prayer you offer to your spiritual master and superior spiritual Master, all of them are conveyed to Krishna, so no sincere prayers go in vain. We shall always offer such prayers to the spiritual master, superior spiritual master, Vaisnava acaryas, Lord Caitanya, and at the end Radha Krishna, that is the system.
--from a letter to: Mahananda -- Los Angeles 27 April, 1970

Srila Prabhupada has given the perfect answer.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Monday 9 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Krishna Consciousness in All Situations

One test of how well situated you are in in Krishna consciousness is how well you can maintain your Krishna consciousness in any and all situations. The key for doing this successfully is to carefully and faithfully follow these guidelines:

1. Regularly chant your prescribed number of rounds of the Hare Krishna mahamantra every day on your japa mala beads as early as possible in the day, ideally before sunrise. For initiates this is at least 16 rounds daily. For others, it is according to their vows.
2. Strictly avoid illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling because these pollute the consciousness making it difficult, if not impossible, to remember Krishna.
3. Spend as much time as possible every day reading and hearing the transcendental glories of Lord Sri Krishna (Krishnakatha).
3. Render as much service as possible to the Krishna consciousness movement regularly contributing to it as much as possible in as many ways as possible.
4. Always pray to guru and Krishna that you can be saved from the grip of maya or illusion.

If you will stick to the above principles, you will always be happy in ever-increasing Krishna consciousness in all situations.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan

What is the difference between Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan?

V.G.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Perfect, More Perfect, and Most Perfect

Brahman is the impersonal aspect of the Supreme, the undifferentiated oneness. Paramatma is the four-handed form of the Supreme Lord situated in the heart of all living beings. And Bhagavan is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all existence. One who realizes Brahman has a perfect realization of the sat or eternity aspect of the Supreme. One realizes the Paramatma has a more perfect realization of the sat and cit (knowledge) features of the Supreme. And one who realizes Bhagavan has the most perfect realization of the sat, cit, and ananda (bliss) features of the Supreme.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sunday 8 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: If You Don't Feel the Urgency

If you don't feel the urgency of completely taking shelter of Krishna right now as your only duty, you are in a very dangerous and precarious spiritually compromised position. In fact, whether you realize it or not, you are experiencing the most dire of all possible emergencies. Why? Because death can come at any minute, and if you are not prepared, you will be forced by the laws of nature to remain within the cycle of birth and death. Therefore if you don't feel the urgency, you must immediately, with as much sincerity as you can possibly muster, beg the Supreme Lord to save you from your fallen condition and restore you to sanity as His eternal servant. Otherwise, you are completely lost, whereabouts unknown, like a vanished astronaut accidently separated from his space capsule drifting aimlessly in outer space with no hope of ever being recovered.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Emphasizing the Importance of Human LifeNoida, India--8 April 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Challenge: You Are Misinterpreting the Verse

You wrote:

"But can't God be approached directly without going through a spiritual master? We can surely approach Him directly through prayer and scriptural study. But as soon as we do that we discover that He is ordering us to become the devotee of His devotee in order to become His devotee. This is stated by Lord Krishna in the Adi Purana as follows:

"My dear Arjuna, those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My devotee are factually My devotees."

I have some questions. In the childhood of Krishna, He stopped people from worshiping Indra, who was a devotee of Krishna. Also on the other hand you say that one should chant Krishna directly as it gives maximum benefit and on the other hand you say one should be the devotee of the devotee.

I personally never feel for devotee too much, but I am always in love with Krishna and am always benefited. I remain always happy even when I undergo the worst conditions. I am sorry, but I think you are misinterpreting the meaning of this verse.

You contradict yourself when you say one should worship directly Krishna so that you will be able to see the absolute truth yourself. You contradict Srila Prabhupada, who said in an interview that a real guru always says I am the servant of Krishna and I will make you the servant of Krishna.

Please explain.

Regards,
V.J.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: We Present As It Is, Without Interpretation.

We do not give interpretations on the words of scripture. We simply present the scripture as it is. Krishna clearly states in Sanskrit in the Adi Purana that the one who is only His devotee is not His devotee. The word "na", which means "not" is clearly stated there. So, there is no question of interpretation.

If a devotee becomes proud as Indra became proud, he is not worthy of being worshipped. We approach Krishna by becoming the devotee of His pure devotee, not those devotees who are infected by pride.

The Hare Krishna mahamantra has been given to us by the mercy of Lord Krishna's pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada. This is why it has so much potency. The Padma Purana states that if we receive the mantra from another source besides the pure devotee who is coming in disciplic succession, it will have no effect:

"sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ"

I have studied Srila Prabhupada's teachings full time for the last forty years, and I can assure you that I am purely presenting his teachings. I can give many, many verses and quotes to prove it. Here's a verse by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, one of the greatest Vaisnava acharyas in our line of disciplic succession. Srila Prabhupada quotes this verse in his purport to Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Adi Lila 9.11 as follows:

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādoyasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi

“By the mercy of the spiritual master one is blessed by the mercy of Krishna. Without the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any advancement.”

I appreciate very much your loving sentiments for Krishna. But I beg you to kindly note that if you want to elevate your sentiments to the perfectional stage of pure devotion, you will have to obey Lord Krishna's order to become the devotee of His devotee. This is how we show Krishna our dedication to Him, by obeying his order to approach the spiritual master to inquire about the science of bhakti and render service unto Him:

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."--Bhagavad-gita 4.34

We never say that one cannot directly approach Krishna. One can easily do so, for example, just by reading the above verse. But when one does so with full humility, he will hear Krishna's order to approach the spiritual master and will dutifully do so on the order of Krishna. If he refuses to obey Krishna's order, then he has not properly connected himself with Krishna.

It's a fact that Srila Prabhupada says that he is the servant of Krishna and that he will make his students also the servants of Krishna. He does this by teaching them how to be the servants of Krishna's servants. This why Lord Caitanya has prayed as follows:

“I am not a brahmana, I am not a ksatriya, I am not a vaisya or a sudra. Nor am I a brahmacari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.”

So don't try to be a bigger devotee than the great Vaisnava acharyas by thinking that you can ignore Krishna's devotees and only give your love to Him. There is no one more dear to Krishna than His devotees, so if we ignores His devotees, He will ignore us.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Saturday 7 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: Don't Neglect Your Ultimate Duty

Don't neglect your ultimate duty being carried away by your senses. Your senses are cruel masters. Even if you serve them and the senses of your family members faithfully throughout your entire life, your only reward will be old age, disease, and death. Therefore those who are learned always put their ultimate duty of service to the Supreme Lord first before the sensual demands. In this way they become qualified to reawaken their dormant loving relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all existence, who has unlimited names, and who, being unlimitedly attractive, is best described by name Krishna, which means "one who attracts everyone."

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Ecstatic Glorification of KrishnaTallinn, Estonia--3 May 2011

Distributing the Sweetest Mercy of KrishnaTallinn, Estonia--3 May 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Do Humans Have Any Rules to Follow?

It puzzles me how all living things on mother earth follow the rules of the nature except the humans. Are there no rules for humans to follow?

Kindly enlighten with divine thought.

D.B.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Yes, But They Flagrantly Neglect Them

The rules for humans are given in the Vedic literatures. But unfortunately hardly anyone is following them. Therefore the entire planet earth has been plunged into an ever-increasingly chaotic situation. We are trying to save the world from this chaos, but the people are so blind that they have no interest in the Vedic teachings. Instead they flagrantly neglect the Vedic injunctions and continue wallowing in the so-called pleasure of sense gratification. In this way they go deeper and deeper into the quagmire of illusion and suffering.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Friday 6 May 2011

from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA

Today's Thought: The Absolute Necessity of Initiation

Initiation means a solid commitment to follow the process of Krishna consciousness according to the authorized directions given in the Vedic literatures. In accordance with Vedic injunctions, it is a commitment to follow the bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession from Lord Sri Krishna.

But can't God be approached directly without going through a spiritual master? We can surely approach Him directly through prayer and scriptural study. But as soon as we do that we discover that He is ordering us to become the devotee of His devotee in order to become His devotee. This is stated by Lord Krishna in the Adi Purana as follows:

"My dear Arjuna, those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees,
but those who are the devotees of My devotee are factually My devotees."

Initiation is the most enlivening experience of being born again into your eternal transcendental existence. Our first birth is from our mother and father, but even animals get such a birth. To actually become a human being requires getting a second birth through the process of initiation. In this sublime rejuvenation of the immortal soul, the spiritual master becomes our eternal father and the Vedas become our mother.

I was accepted as a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami on 12 August 1971. This moment of my initiation was the turning point in my eternal existence that has restored me to who I actually am, the eternal servant of Krishna.

If you would like to regain your actual identity, you also require to be initiated by the bona fide spiritual master coming in an unbroken line of disciplic succession from Lord Sri Krishna. Qualify yourself now for becoming initiated by chanting at least 16 rounds every day of the Hare Krishna mahamantra on japabeads, as well as strictly avoiding illicit sex, intoxication, meat eating, and gambling. Getting initiated will be the wisest decision you ever made in the vast sojourn of your eternal existence.

First of all thanks a lot for guiding me in the right path. I have a question, kindly guide me. I understand that those living entities who reside on the sun planet have bodies made of fire. My question is: In spiritual world, what is the type of body possessed by the soul?

Just as one cannot enter the fire unless he has a body made of fire, one cannot enter into Krishna's abode of eternity, knowledge, and bliss unless he has a spiritual body composed of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. This means that when a soul goes back to Godhead he regains his original body composed of eternity, knowledge, and bliss.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Thursday 5 May 2011

From a boat on the Gulf of Finland

Today's Thought: Dive into this Ocean of Bliss

Have you heard the news? We are celebrating like anything right now because the greatest victory in the history of the universe has now been won. Our greatest enemy, death, is now conquered. Come and dive with us into the ocean of immortal bliss and become deathless. You've got nothing to stop you except for your lack of faith. So throw off the shackles of faithlessness and dive into the ocean of bliss today. It's not difficult. All you have to do is unabashedly chant and dance the holy names of God along with us. You will taste the jubilation. Your eternal spiritual identity will be rejuvenated. Do not miss this greatest of all opportunities. Dive into this ocean of unlimited bliss right now.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Departure Kirtan--Riga, Latvia--May 3, 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Can God Create a Rock He Cannot Lift?

I have been asked two questions:

1.Can God create a rock that He can't lift? If God can't do this, then He isn't omnipotent, and if He can, then He still isn't omnipotent, because then there is something, that He can't do - i.e. lift the rock.

2.God is supposed to be omniscient (all-knowing), and humans supposedly have a free will. But how can humans have a free will, if God in advance knows what is going to happen? There can be no choice in any meaningful sense of the word, if there is only one possible outcome to each and every situation (that is the outcome that God has foreseen). When in the Srimad Bhagavatam He says that in the age of kali (Kali yuga) lots of bad things are bound to happen how do we possess free will?

A.M.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Yes, and Then He Can Lift It

The first question you have raised is one of the questions that is often used to express a classical issue known in philosophy as the omnipotence paradox. This paradox has vexed philosophers for many centuries.

Wikipedia has defined it as follows:

"The omnipotence paradox is a family of related paradoxes addressing the question of whether the existence of an omnipotent entity is logically possible. The paradox states that if a being can perform any action, then it should be able to create a task it is unable to perform, and hence, it cannot perform all actions. Yet, on the other hand, if it cannot create a task it is unable to perform, then there exists something it cannot do."

As long as one remains a mental speculator one will continue to be vexed by this paradox. But when one awakens to the transcendental self-realization plane the paradox evaporates. The answer is that there is an omnipotent entity who can do absolutely anything, even if it is logically impossible. What is the proof? Lord Sri Krishna has demonstrated such omnipotency in His transcendental pastimes. For example, being all-powerful there is no one that can bring Him under their control. But yet we see that Mother Yasoda was able to bring Him completely under her control when she bound Him with ropes.

Your second question is also puzzling to the mental speculators. How can one truly have free will if God knows what he is going to do? In this connection one need only become aware that from the absolute perspective there is no such thing as past, present, or future. In other words, there is nothing you can do that you have not already done. Your free will is to decide whether you want to remain in the realm of relativity as a slave of birth, death, old age, and disease, or whether you want to be a liberated soul relishing an eternal life, full of bliss, and knowledge in the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually even though you are not aware of it, you are already in that transcendental existence. Now you simply must awaken from the dream of relativity and fully realize who you are and where you are by fully surrendering yourself to the Lord.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Wednesday 4 May 2011

from Riga, Latvia

Today's Thought: We've Got This Message Through

We have tons of work to do to get this message through to the suffering people of the planet to save them from going down to the 8,000,000 lower species in their next life. But they are so foolish that they usually refuse to accept it. They sometimes become so disturbed when we try to educate them that they arrest us. I was personally arrested for distributing Back to Godhead magazine in Leesburg, Florida many years ago when I was a young brahmacari. Sometimes they even go so far as to kill our devotees, as they did to my dear Godbrother Brajajana Prabhu. He was murdered by a fire bomb while he was sleeping in our ISKCON center in Tennessee back in the 1970's. May his glories ever be vibrated throughout the three worlds.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Kirtan Bliss in Riga, Latvia--May 2, 2011

More Kirtan Bliss in Riga, Latvia--May 2, 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: How to Attain Complete Surrender?

In order to taste pure love for Krishna we should surrender to Krishna completely. So can you tell me what is complete surrender and how to practice it in a simplified manner?

Thank you,

Your servant,

K.S.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Take Shelter of the Bona Fide Guru

It's very simple. Complete surrender means to strictly abide by the instructions given by the Lord. This cannot be done by mental speculation. You have to be trained by someone who is fully conversant with the orders of the Lord and is fully surrendered to Him. Srila Rupa Goswami therefore states that the very first step on the path of surrender to the Lord is to take complete shelter of the bona fide master. Such a qualified guru will then perfectly train you how to be fully absorbed in loving devotional service so that you can quickly and easily attain the supreme perfection of going back to home, back to Godhead.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Tuesday 3 May 2011

from Riga, Latvia

Today's Thought: Follow Your Training, Not Your Mind

The time of death will be the most traumatic or the most exhilarating experience of your entire life depending on whether or not you have properly prepared yourself. So if you would like to be in for a real treat instead of the ultimate nightmare, you need to train yourself ahead of time how to handle death in the best possible way. If you know what you are doing when death comes, you won't panic in wild uncontrolled mental hysteria. You will peacefully fix your mind on the Lord and triumphantly return to your original identity in that wondrous spiritual sky. But if you are foolishly holding on to the misconception that happiness comes through the gratification of the material senses, you will have to face the reactions for all of your previous actions and be reassigned into another term of imprisonment in one of the 8,400,000 different species of life in this material world according to your karma.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Ecstatic Farewell from Lithuania--May 2, 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Prove to a 14 Year Old that God Exists

Dear Gurudeva,

Recently I had a debate with my 14 year old nephew. His father told me that he does not accept God's existence. During the debate I came to know that one of his school teachers brain washed him against God. I am requesting you, please give such an explanation which will prove that God exists to a 14 year old boy.

It's very simple. Explain to the boy you can't get something out of nothing. Then to demonstrate give the boy an empty pot and a stove and show him that no matter how much you heat the pot it still will not produce popcorn. Then add some popcorn kernels and some oil to the pot and pop some popcorn.

Now explain to him the lesson. The foolish atheists claim that the universe came out of nothing. But it is impossible to get something out of nothing. Everything comes from something. Therefore the universe must have an origin. It cannot come out of nothing. That origin can be called by different names. It can be called the Ultimate Source or it can be called God. Whether you call it the Ultimate Source or call it God does not matter. It is the scientific philosophical principle which must be clearly understood that the universe cannot come out of nothing. This means that the atheists are wrong.

Then you can offer the popcorn to Krishna and let the boy eat it and have a good time. He'll remember the lesson and he'll remember the great prasadam popcorn.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Monday 2 May 2011

from Kaunas, Lithuania

Today's Thought: Saving the Entire World from Misery

The entire human population has been captured by illusion and is thus being exploited in the worst possible way. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has inaugurated the sankirtana movement 500 years ago in India just to save the suffering humanity from its precarious pitiable condition. This movement is based on chanting the holy names of God. Now this sankirtana movement has been spread all over the world by the profound mercy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. We are inviting all compassionate people throughout the world to join with us in the mission for saving the entire world from misery.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhuthe Great Inaugurator of the Sankirtana Movement

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: What Should Be Our Goal of Life?

What should be the goal of our life: serving mankind, our nation and nature, or living in Braj-Vrindavana, or something else?

N.S.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: Surrender to Krishna, the Root of Existence

The ultimate goal of life is to fully surrender to Krishna. Anyone who does this is automatically the best servant of mankind, his nation, and nature. This is so because just as when you water the root of tree all its leaves and branches are nourished, in a similar way when you give your love to Krishna, who is the root of all existence, your love is automatically fully distributed in the best possible way to all living beings wherever they may be. Such a soul who is fully surrendered to Krishna possesses enlightened spiritual vision and is thus always living in Braj-Vrindavan no matter where he may be living within this material world.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari.

Sunday 1 May 2011

from Kaunas, Lithuania

Today's Thought: Why Godhead Instead of Just God?

We describe Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why do we say "Godhead" instead of the simpler, more commonly understood and accepted term "God"? We could just say that Krishna is God. We learned this term "Godhead" from Srila Prabhupada, and we use it because he uses it. So why does he use it? Srila Prabhupada has not invented anything new. He has simply presented the timeless message of the Vedas in the most powerful, compassionate, and attractive way to relieve the suffering humanity from the countless distresses of material existence. This term "Godhead" is the English translation of the Sanskrit word "Bhagavan," which appears in the very first verse of the Srimad Bhagavatamand means "one who is full in all opulences." These opulences are six in number: power, beauty, renunciation, knowledge, wealth, fame. The Sanskrit word for God is "ishvara," which means controller. This word covers the opulence of power, but it does not accurately convey the other five opulences. Therefore the term "Godhead" is a more accurate and complete designation for the Supreme Person.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Godhead is LightThe Bliss of Krishna ConsciousnessKaunas, Lithuania--19 April 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Why I Don't Taste Bhakti Sweetness?

Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

I read your "Thought for the Day" every day. You describe Krishna consciousness as if it is filled with nectar. But then why am I not able to taste that same sweetness?

V.J.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answer: You Are Doing Something Wrong

It is a fact that Krishna consciousness, when practiced correctly, manifests unlimited oceans of transcendental bliss. If you are not tasting this bliss, you are not practicing Krishna consciousness correctly.

We do not taste happiness when we try to taste it. We taste happiness when we try to give happiness to Krishna. So if you are not tasting happiness, you should sincerely try to please Lord Krishna with all of your thoughts, words, and deeds in all times, places, and circumstances. Then you will surely derive great taste from the process of Krishna consciousness at every minute.